THE LEGAL 100: A CELEBRATION OF IRISH LAWYERS AND JUDGES

Transcription

1 THE LEGAL 100: A CELEBRATION OF IRISH LAWYERS AND JUDGES IRISH AMERICA October / November 2008 Can. $ 4.95 U.S. $ 3.95 Stars of the South Southerners with Irish roots The Battle Over Ulysses How James Joyce changed the way Americans read Broadway s Irish Colleen Kelli O Hara talks about her Irish roots in Oklahoma Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking A coming of age novel by Aoibheann Sweeney Bill Maher The White- Tailed Eagle Returns Last seen in Ireland in 1910, the birds are nesting in Kerry Talks about America, his Irish father, and his new movie on religion Interview by Kelly Carlin-McCall DISPLAY UNTIL NOVEMBER >

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 Waterford Abstract, Inc. would like to congratulate JOHN PHELAN as part of the inaugural Irish Legal 100 and all the other distinguished honorees in 2008.

10

11

12 The Legal 100 Irish America is proud to present its inaugural Legal 100 feature. The following list is comprised of lawyers from all around the country who share a passion for the law and pride in their heritage. OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 73

13

14

15 Wylie Aitken Trial lawyer Wylie A. Aitken, founding partner and CEO of the California law firm Aitken, Aitken and Cohn, was the youngest ever president in the history of the State Trial Bar and served on the Federal Judicial Advisory Committee which recommends the appointment of federal district judges. Aitken graduated from law school at Marquette University in 1965 and was recently appointed to the university s Law School Advisory Board. He was the recipient of Marquette s Lifetime Achievement Award in His recent court victories include a wrongful-death action against Disneyland, after a dislodged metal cleat on a Disney sailing ship killed a man and disfigured his wife. The case led California to strengthen theme park safety regulations. Aitken has also worked as a consumer advocate, developing bilingual consumer protection brochures. A second-generation Irish-American whose mother s family hails from County Cork, Aitken is married and has three children. He is a founding member and the current president of the Celtic Bar Association. 100 THE LEGAL Maureen Bateman Maureen Scannell Bateman is counsel for the Butzel Long firm in New York City, executive vice president and general counsel of State Street Corporation and partner of Holland & Knight. She sits on several boards, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and serves as a director of the Catholic Schools Foundation of Boston and the Boston Bar Foundation. All four of Bateman s grandparents were born in Ireland. On her mother s side they hailed from Dublin and Longford, and on her father s side from Cork and Kerry. Her grandfather served on the New York police force, retiring as a lieutenant, and her father, David T. Scannell, graduated from Fordham University, served as a detective, attended Fordham Law School at night and ultimately became vice chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Bateman also graduated from Fordham Law School, served on its board of trustees for twelve years, was vice chairman and is presently trustee fellow. Her son, Dan, is a sophomore at Fordham. Scannell Bateman serves as vice president in the American Irish Historical Society, and is a member of its board of directors. Robert Bennett Robert S. Bennett, a partner at the Washington D.C. law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, specializes in civil and criminal enforcement matters and complex civil litigation. He has represented numerous high-profile corporations and individuals including President Clinton in the Paula Jones case and journalist Judith Miller in the CIA leak investigation. He also served on the National Review Board of the Catholic Church, which investigated sexual abuse claims. A member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Bennett traces his Irish heritage to his maternal grandfather who hailed from Limerick. A graduate of a Catholic high school in Brooklyn, he attended Georgetown University, the University of Virginia Law School, and received his Master of Laws from Harvard. Bennett, who is the author of the recently published book, In the Ring: Trials of a Washington Lawyer, lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Ellen Gilbert Bennett, who is also Irish- American. They have three grown daughters. Aidan Browne Aidan F. Browne focuses on foreign investment matters in the U.S., Europe and, most recently, China. He brings over two decades of experience as a corporate and commercial real estate attorney in Europe, and a foreign legal consultant in the U.S., to his position as Director of Business Development for the Massachusetts law firm of Sullivan & Worcestor. In addition to his work with Sullivan & Worcestor, Browne is the U.S. representative partner for Ireland s largest law firm, A&L Goodbody, and has assisted Irish companies now located in the United States with corporate partnerships and market development. Born in Dublin, with degrees from Boston s Suffolk University Law School, the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland, Dublin, and University College, Dublin, Browne now resides in Boston, where he is a member of numerous Irish organizations including the Friends of Irish Progressive Democrats and the Friends of Irish Labour in North America. Susan Bryant Susan Bryant is the Director of Clinical Programs and a professor of law at the City University of New York School of Law. She designed the experiential learning component of the school s curriculum in the 1980s and, prior to that, directed clinical programs at Hofstra University s Law School. Bryant, whose ancestors on both sides emigrated from County Clare in the mid-1850s, received her undergraduate degree from St. Xavier in Chicago and her law degrees from Georgetown University, where she was a Prettyman Fellow. Married with two children, she has served on New York s Board of Legal Services since 2004 and on the New York State Diversity Coalition of Legal Services since 2002, and received the Bill Pincus Award from the Association of American Law Schools for her significant contributions to clinical legal education. 76 IRISH AMERICA OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008

16 Anne Burke Anne M. Burke is a Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois. She graduated with a B.A. in education from DePaul University in 1976 and received her J.D. degree from IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law in She was elected in 1996 to the First District, Appellate Court for a full term. Admitted to the Federal Court, Northern District of Illinois in 1983, Burke served in the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in 1985, and in 1987 certified for the Federal District Court Trial Bar. Also in 1987, Governor James Thompson appointed her Judge to the Court of Claims. In 1991, Burke was again appointed to the Court of Claims, this time by Governor Jim Edgar. In August 1995, she was appointed to the Appellate Court, First District. Best known for her work with children, Burke served as a special counsel to the governor for Child Welfare Services in She was also instrumental in starting what are now called the Special Olympics. A third-generation Irish-American, Burke is a member of the Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago. She is married to alderman and fellow honoree Edward M. Burke. Edward D. Burke Edward D. Burke, Jr. was born in Brooklyn. He is a graduate of Providence College and St. John s University Law School (Juris Doctorate). After graduation, Burke spent seven years as a prosecutor with the Suffolk County District Attorney s office. He entered private law in 1996 with his father Edward, Sr. In 2005 he opened his own practice and has been involved in several high-profile cases (Daniel Pelosi; Lizzie Grubman) as well as several high-verdict negligence cases. As an active member of the community, Burke was honored in 2004 by the Independent Group Housing League of Suffolk County, which assists developmentally handicapped children. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Suffolk County Bar Association, the Suffolk County Criminal Bar Association, as well as various community organizations. He is also counsel to both the North Sea and Sag Harbor volunteer fire departments. Burke is a third-generation Irish-American whose greatgrandparents came from County Mayo. He and his wife, Patricia, live in Sag Harbor, New York with their three sons, Matthew, Edward and Brendan. Edmund Burns Edmund Burns is a partner in Burns, Kennedy, Schilling and Shea, a general practice firm with an emphasis on estate planning, real estate and closely held corporations. Burns, who received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and his law degree from Fordham Law School, has been practicing law since Burns, Kennedy, Schilling and Shea is also active in pro bono work for non-profits including the Children s Radio Foundation in South Africa and Free Play Radio, which helps educate children through radio communication, and Burns himself has been involved in the Public Interest Practice of the American Bar Association, which encourages pro bono legal services, and has served as chairman of the Young Lawyers Committee. Irish on both his mother and his father s side, Burns is married to Carole Burns and they have two children, Erin and Edmund Jr. 100 THE LEGAL Edward M. Burke Chicago alderman Edward M. Burke has worked in civic and community affairs for over 25 years. His law firm, Klafter & Burke, has provided legal services to businesses such as American Airlines, Ameritech, Bank One and Harris Bank. He is a lifelong resident of Chicago, where his father, Joseph P. Burke, was a Cook County policeman. After graduating in 1968 from DePaul University s College of Law, Burke served with the Illinois Municipal Problems Commission, the Chicago Plan Commission and the Chicago Commission on Economic Development. Alderman Burke became a member of the Chicago City Council in 1969 and represents the 14th ward of Chicago. He is Chicago s longest-serving alderman. He is a second generation Irish-American whose grandparents on his father s side came from Kerry while his mother s family hails from Clare. A prominent figure in Chicago s Irish-American political scene, Burke is the chairman of the Irish-American partnership in Chicago and a member of the Irish Fellowship Club. Burke and his wife, Justice Anne Burke, live in Chicago. They have three adult children, Jennifer, Edward and Sarah. Patrick Burns Patrick Burns has served as Mutual of America's general counsel for 22 years. His job consists of ensuring that investments are handled according to legal regulations and that corporate laws are followed companywide. He is also on the firm s board of directors. Burns received his undergraduate degree from Iona College, where he has served on the board of directors. He received his law degree from Fordham Law School, and sits on the Irish-American Legal and Educational Foundation organized by Fordham Law s former Dean John Feerick. A proud Irish- American, Burns has traveled to Ireland on several occasions. His father s parents were both born in County Kerry and his mother s grandparents hailed from Donegal. A native of the Bronx, Burns now lives in Bronxville in Westchester County with his wife, Jane. I couldn t get the Bronx out of my address, he jokes. Edward Buttimer Carrying on his family s legal legacy, Edward Toby Buttimer started practicing law with his father and younger brother at Buttimer Law Firm in Savannah after receiving his J.D. from the University of Georgia Law School. Buttimer, who received his B.A. in history from Armstrong Atlantic State University, is a fifth-generation Irish-American with ancestors from County Cork. He has participated in the Savannah St. Patrick s Day celebration almost every year of his life, the first time when he was three months old. He has served as both a member and president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Monsignor Daniel J. Bourke Division One. Buttimer, who is the proud father of Conor Patrick (named for the protagonist in Leon Uris novel Trinity), says that being part of the larger Irish-American community in Savannah is very rewarding, and notes that, Ireland s music, art, literature, and the richness of its history has influenced the rest of the world in an amazingly disproportionate measure to its relatively small geographical size. OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 77

17

18 Larry Byrne Larry Byrne is U.S. Co- Managing Partner and Head of the U.S. Litigation Practice of Linklaters LLP, a 2,600-lawyer global firm and the world s second largest law firm by gross revenues. Named a New York Super Lawyer in 2006 and 2007, Byrne handles white-collar criminal defense cases as well as government regulatory and civil cases. He has successfully represented Deutsche Bank in a number of notable cases, including the Enron securities litigation. Byrne graduated magna cum laude from Hofstra University in 1981 and received his law degree at the New York University School of Law in Before entering private practice, he was the Deputy Chief of the RICO Section in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. from , and prior to that served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. He is married with three children and lives in Pelham, New York. A member of the New York City Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Byrne is a second-generation Irish-American whose parents families both hail from Wicklow town. Anthony Callaghan Anthony P. Callaghan is an attorney for Gibbons P.C. With a background in federal court litigation, he primarily focuses on class-action securities litigation, telecommunication matters and contract disputes. In addition, Callaghan deals in general practice litigation in the areas of banking and drug-product liability defense. A cum laude graduate of Seton Hall University Law School, Anthony received his B. Ed., with honors from the National University of Ireland, Carysfort College. In his law career he has served as lead counsel on cases involving everything from corporate dissolution proceedings to auditor malpractice and contract disputes. A native of Donegal, Ireland, Callaghan is fluent in Gaelic. He is a member of The American Ireland Fund and the Irish American Partnership, and has served on the AIF New York dinner committee for several years and as chairman of the AIF New Jersey Golf Classic. Callaghan is married with two children. John Connorton John Connorton specializes in the law of public finance and municipal bonds. He has participated in capital infrastructure project financings throughout the United States, and his bond counsel clients include major power, energy, transportation, industrial development, environmental and housing public authorities and agencies, as well as various states and municipalities. Connorton was born in Washington, D.C. and attended Fordham Law School. He has served as an Assistant Counsel to the Governor of the State of New York, has clients in major investment banking firms and served as a special counsel to universities and corporations, including those doing businesses to Northern Ireland. In 2003, the University of Ulster awarded Connorton an honorary Doctor of Laws, and in 2004, for his services to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, Queen Elizabeth II made him a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. All four of Connorton s grandparents were Irish-born. They came from counties Roscommon, Mayo, Kerry and Cork. 100 THE LEGAL James Clerkin James C. Clerkin is a founding partner of Kral, Clerkin, Redmond, Ryan, Perry & Girvan, one of New York s leading civil-defense litigation firms. Under his leadership, the firm has grown to 32 attorneys in three fully staffed offices in Manhattan, Nassau County and Suffolk County, New York. A native of Palmerton, Pennsylvania, Clerkin earned both his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Fordham University. His admissions include the New York Bar, Federal Bar (SDNY and EDNY) and the United States Supreme Court. Clerkin has received Martindale-Hubbell s highest ( AV ) Peer Review Rating for his legal ability and ethical standards. Clerkin, whose father is from Monaghan and whose mother is from Donegal, resides in Mahwah, New Jersey. He has been married 26 years to his wife, Virginia, and they have three children. Philip Corboy Philip H. Corboy, co-founder of Corboy & Demetrio, one of the nation s top law firms based in Chicago, has been practicing personal injury law for more than 50 years. The recipient of many honors and awards during his remarkable career, Corboy has been named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Lawyers in the United States, is a former president of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and is a former chairman of the American Bar Association s Section on litigation. He served as general counsel for the Illinois Democratic Party and is a member of such national and international associations as the Inner Circle of Advocates, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates, and has been described as the premier personal injury lawyer in Chicago and a mentor to many of the other top personal injury lawyers in the city. Born in Chicago, Corboy attended St. Ambrose College and Notre Dame University and graduated from Loyola University College of Law. His parents families hail from County Limerick. A member of the Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago, Corboy enjoys dual Irish and American citizenship. He is married to Mary Dempsey, the Commissioner of the Chicago Public Library. OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 79

19

20 Carol Corrigan Justice Carol A. Corrigan was appointed to the California Supreme Court in Prior to that she served on the California Court of Appeal, Superior and Municipal Courts, and was a trial lawyer in the Alameda County District Attorney s Office. Born in Stockton, California Justice Corrigan attended local Catholic schools and Holy Names University. All eight of her great-grand parents immigrated from Ireland, and she is fiercely proud of her Irish heritage. Justice Corrigan has served on the President s Commission on Organized Crime, California Judicial Council, Center for Judicial Education and Research, and Commission on the Future of California Courts. She has lectured widely and served as an adjunct professor at serveral universities including University of California at Berkeley. Her honors include the Thomas More Award, California Jurist of the Year, Teaching awards from The National Institute of Trial Advocacy and California Judge s Association; and The Golden Pen Award. She serves on the boards of St. Vincent s Day Home, Holy Names University, Goodwill Industries of East Bay and advisory boards of St. Mary s Community Center and Providence Hospital. Ellen Cosgrove As the Associate Dean and Dean of Students at Harvard Law School, Ellen Cosgrove supervises a broad range of extracurricular activities, from moot court competitions to the student-edited law journals. She oversees student organizations and residence life as well as a variety of all-school activities including orientation, graduation, conferences, and co-curricular programming which serve to entertain, educate and cultivate community. She is also involved in developing and enforcing academic policies and practices. Prior to joining Harvard, Cosgrove served as Associate Dean and Dean of Students at the University of Chicago Law School. Cosgrove, whose grandparents were all Irish immigrants, graduated from Mount Holyoke College, where she now serves as a trustee. She then spent four years in corporate and investment banking in New York before attending University of Chicago Law School. Cosgrove worked for four years in private practice at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Green & MacRae before returning to Chicago to serve as Associate Dean at the law school. 100 THE LEGAL Denis Cronin Denis F. Cronin is a senior partner in New York at the law firm of Vinson & Elkins, LLP, where he is co-chair of the firm s Restructuring and Reorganization practice group and a member of the Management Committee. Prior to joining Vinson & Elkins, Cronin was a founding partner of the New York-based bankruptcy firm Cronin & Vris, and before that he was a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz for 16 years, where he served as Managing Partner for six years. Cronin focuses his practice on Chapter 11 reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, corporate/commercial law and mediation. For over 20 years Cronin has been listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America and New York Magazine has named him among the Best Lawyers in New York since the inception of its survey. The New York Times Magazine named him as one of New York s Super Lawyers and he is listed as a Senior Statesman in Chambers USA. All four of Cronin s grandparents were born in Ireland; his father s parents were from County Cork, while his mother s hailed from County Kerry. Kathleen Cronin Kathleen M. Cronin has served as Managing Director, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of CME Group since July 2007, when CME and CBOT merged to become the world s largest and most diverse exchange. She is responsible for overseeing the company s Corporate Secretary, Shareholder Relations, Membership Services, Legal and Market Regulation functions. Previously, she served as Managing Director, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of CME Holdings and CME since Cronin has advised CME on all legal matters since joining the company in November 2002 as Acting General Counsel & Corporate Secretary. She was an integral part of CME s efforts to complete its IPO in December 2002 and its secondary offering in June Additionally, she has played a key role in further developing the company s corporate governance principles and corporate compliance program. A second-generation Irish-American, Cronin s maternal grandparents emigrated from Killarney, County Kerry as teenagers. She is in touch with her Irish cousins and is a frequent visitor to Killarney. Michael Critchley Michael Critchley, Sr., a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, and the American Bar Foundation, founded Critchley and Kinum in He is the former president and founding member of the New Jersey Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, past president and founder of Seton Hall University School of Law Inn of Court, and member of the New Jersey State Bar Association Judicial & Prosecutorial Appointments Committee. He serves on the Board of Visitors of Seton Hall University School of Law, where he received his B.A. and J.D. Critchley, who received an AV rating in Martindale Hubbell and was awarded the Trial Bar Award by the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey, has successfully tried over 100 cases in federal and state courts and practices in securities fraud, anti-trust violations, official misconduct, and tax fraud. He s also been awarded the Lawrence A. Whipple Award by the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, and is listed in the Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers in New Jersey. Critchley traces his Irish roots to counties Carlow and Westmeath. OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 81

21 Sean Crowley Sean E. Crowley is a partner at the New York City law firm of Davidoff, Malito and Hutcher LLP where he focuses on government relations. After graduating from Fordham University, Crowley spent three years as an investigator for New York City. He went on to get his law degree from CUNY Law School. Along with Marty Glennon, he co-founded the Joseph Doherty Civil Rights Fellowship, which provides scholarships for City University of New York Law School. As president of the Brehon (Irish) Law Society of New York, Crowley traveled to Ireland with New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to meet with Northern Irish leaders last March, and says the Brehons are working to ensure that Northern Ireland will be part of the Celtic Tiger and not be left out in the cold. Crowley is a first-generation Irish-American; his mother was born in County Down, and his father's parents hailed from County Cavan. Crowley and his wife, who is also first-generation Irish-American, have three sons. 100 THE LEGAL James Cullen James Cullen of the New York law firm Anderson, Kill and Olick, has practiced real estate and construction law for the past 38 years. He has negotiated many construction projects including hospitals, schools and water treatment plants, and also advises non-profit institutions and government entities. A retired brigadier general from the Army Reserves, Cullen is part of a group of over 40 retired generals and admirals who has spoken out publicly against the Bush administration s policies on torture and interrogation. A first-generation Irish-American, Cullen received his bachelor s degree from Iona College and his J.D. in Law from St. John s University. His father hailed from County Sligo and his mother from County Offaly, where he built a home for her in He expanded the house so that his four children, Tara, Kerry, Erin and Sean, can visit with their families. A proud Irish- American, Cullen is active in the Irish Parades Emergency Committee, which monitors Orange parades in Northern Ireland. He was also the first president of the Brehon (Irish) Law Society. John Dearie Prior to establishing his private practice, which now includes five offices in New York and mobile law offices that travel to meet clients unable to travel, John Dearie served as an Assemblyman from the Bronx from 1973 to During that time he helped secure passage of the MacBride Principles, through the New York State Legislature and organized Irish- American Presidential Forums, including a 1992 forum where candidate Bill Clinton first committed to finding a solution to the troubles in Northern Ireland. Dearie, who practices in a variety of areas, including medical malpractice, personal injury, wills and estate, also worked at the United Nations for three years. Born and raised in the Bronx, he attended Notre Dame on a full basketball scholarship, and went on to receive his Masters of Business from the Kellogg Graduate Business School at Northwestern University. He received his law degree from the New York University School of Law. A Bronx native, Dearie lives with his wife, Kitty, and sons, John and Michael, in Harrison, New York. Mary Dempsey As Commissioner of the Chicago Public Library, Mary Dempsey is responsible for managing the library s operations, more than 1,300 employees in 79 locations, and an annual operating budget of $98 million. A third-generation Irish- American with roots in counties Wicklow and Clare, Dempsey was born in Chicago. She earned her B.A. and M.L.S. degrees from St. Mary s University, and her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, and worked in libraries in her hometown and at a law firm before being appointed commissioner by Mayor Richard M. Daley in January Upon her appointment Dempsey quickly developed the library s first-ever strategic plan which focused on rebuilding the human and physical infrastructure and installing a professional development and training program for all 1,300 employees. The recipient of four honorary degrees and numerous professional awards, Dempsey is married to Legal 100 honoree Philip H. Corboy. Mary Daly The Dean of St. John s University School of Law, Mary Daly began her legal career in private law and went on to serve as Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief for the Southern District of New York. She joined the Fordham Law School Faculty in 1983 and subsequently worked as the Reporter to the New York Bar Association Task Force. Before assuming her present position at St. John s, she served as co-director of the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics and Professor of Legal Ethics at Fordham. Daly graduated from Thomas More College and went on to earn a J.D. from Fordham and an L.L.M. with a comparative law focus from New York University. A third-generation Irish-American who traces her Irish roots to Cork, Dean Daly says being Irish means being passionate about life and steadfast in commitment. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children. 82 IRISH AMERICA OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008

22

23

24 Bob Donnelly Bob Donnelly is an entertainment lawyer at the New York office of the law firm of Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King and Stageberg. Donnelly, who has focused his practice on the music industry for 30 years, has represented an eclectic group of artists, including Hasidic rapper Matisyahu and Bill Whelan, the composer for Riverdance. A recent lawsuit Donnelly pursued in New York netted $55 million in past due royalties for thousands of music artists. He also settled the largest case in world music on behalf of four Irish clients and represents a large number of Celtic musical artists. All four of Donnelly s grandparents were born in Ireland. On his mother s side they hailed from Monaghan and Cavan, and on his father s from Fermanagh. Donnelly received his undergraduate degree from Providence College, his law degree from St. John s University, and a master's degree from Columbia University. A member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, he is married to Marie Donnelly and they have three children, Chris, Cindy and Alexis. Larry Downes Larry Downes is a partner in the law firm of Gilroy, Downes, Horowitz and Goldstein where he focuses on civil rights, commercial litigation and tort cases. He is also the president and a founding member of the Friends of Sinn Féin, and says the organization strives to play a significant role in the Irish peace process. We continue to work toward a united Ireland which, of course, is our ultimate goal, he says. Downes, who grew up in Bayside, Queens, earned his undergraduate degree from Queens College and his law degree from Hofstra. He began his career at the law firm of O Dwyer and Bernstien and says that civil rights lawyer Paul O'Dwyer, who, along with Frank Durkan, founded the Brehon Law Society, was an inspiration to him. A secondgeneration Irish- American on both sides, Downes grandparents hailed from Cork, Mayo and Carlow. He has visited Ireland a number of times and connected with distant relatives who still live there. 100 THE LEGAL Sean Downes New York personal injury attorney Sean Downes represents a broad range of clients. One standout case occurred in 1996 when Downes won $3.25 million for a pregnant woman whose construction worker husband was killed when he fell from a building. A Bayside, Queens native, Downes earned his bachelor s degree from Queens College (he spent his junior year in Dublin, where he became passionate about the political issues in Ireland), and his law degree from Hofstra University. His brothers, Larry (who is also on this list), Kevin and Chris are also lawyers. He is involved in the Brehon (Irish) Law Society and credits his first big break to working to help Sean Mackin become the first Irish person to obtain political asylum in the U.S. He is one of the founders, along with his brother Larry, of the Friends of Sinn Féin. Downes is married to Marianne, his wife of 20 years, and they have two daughters, Mollie and Katie. John Driscoll John Driscoll served in the New York City Police Department for 34 years, taking a year s leave of absence in 1981 to serve as Assistant District Attorney in Queens County. Recently retired, he is now a director for BlueCrest Capital Management, a hedge fund. For the past 11 years, Driscoll has served as the president of the NYPD Captain's Endowment Association, the union that represents captains through deputy chiefs. Driscoll, who graduated from St. John s University, School of Law in 1978, was honored by the New York State Bar Association in 1992 for Outstanding Police Contribution to the Criminal Justice System. A first-generation Irish-American whose father, a native of Skibereen in County Cork, spent 35 years in the police force, Driscoll has visited Ireland over 20 times. His mother is from Glenmaddy in County Galway. His wife, Phylis Byrne-Driscoll, a captain in the NYPD, has served as the honorary Grand Marshal of the Queens St. Patrick s Day Parade. The couple lives with their three children in Rockville Centre, New York. Jenny Durkan Jenny A. Durkan is a Washington State Attorney known for both her successful trial practice and for her continued civic leadership. She has worked on a number of notable cases, including as trial counsel defending the election of Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire. Durkan served on civic panels relating to police integrity and chaired the former Attorney General s Task force on Consumer Privacy. She also taught Trial Advocacy at the University of Washington Law School. A founding board member of the Center for Women and Democracy, Durkan also completed political training in Morocco. She received her law degree from the University of Washington, and spent her Junior year of college in Dublin. Her grandfather, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1898, served in the Montana state legislature, as did her father, who became an Irish citizen. OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 85

25 John Feerick John D. Feerick heads up Fordham Law School s Center for Social Justice and Dispute Resolution, which provides students with hands-on clinical programs devoted to issues of poverty. He is also the Chairman of the NYS Commission on Public Integrity. Responding to a State Department invitation, Feerick was awarded a government grant to gather 22 Northern Irish community leaders, 11 Catholic and 11 Protestant, and teach them mediation skills, working on creating peace from the street level up. In 1999, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Irish Historical Society for his work. A graduate of the St. Angela Merici elementary school in the South Bronx, Feerick received his undergraduate degree from Fordham University and graduated from Fordham Law School in He practiced at the New York law firm of Skadden Arps for 21 years, and went on to serve as Dean of Fordham Law for 20 years. Feerick, whose parents were both natives of County Mayo but met in New York, is married with six children and eleven grandchildren. He is a member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in New York. 100 THE LEGAL Joseph Fegan Joseph Fegan is a partner and head of litigation at the Brooklyn law firm of Cullen and Dykman. He has more than 24 years of experience as a litigator with a primary focus on trial practice and tort and insurance litigation, and has tried over 100 jury trials to verdict as well as numerous bench trials and arbitrations. In addition to his experience as a trial lawyer, Fegan has also briefed and argued numerous appeals in the Appellate Courts of New York State. A Bronx native, Fegan served as counsel to the New York Claims Association, a group of insurance carriers and self-insureds in the New York area. He is a member of the Brooklyn Bar Association and has authored several articles and given lectures on trial practice. Fegan is a graduate of St. John's University, where he received both his undergraduate and law degrees, and is also a member and past president of the Long Island Emerald Association. A third-generation Irish- American whose father s family hails from Dublin, and whose mother s family is from County Galway, Fegan is married and has three children, two sons and a daughter. William Fenrich William Fenrich is a member of Davis Polk & Wardwell s Litigation Department. He joined Davis Polk in 1999 and became a partner in Over the years he has represented numerous broker-dealers and their employees in a number of matters relating to equity research practices, including Credit Suisse First Boston, NASD and NYSE. Fenrich graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991 and in 1997 received his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Fordham University School of Law, where he was research editor of the law review. He clerked for the Honorable Thomas J. Meskill, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, from 1998 to 1999, and for the Honorable Loretta A. Preska, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, from 1997 to A firstgeneration Irish- American whose parents were both from Mayo, Fenrich is an active member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. He has been honored by the American Irish Historical Society and the New York State Bar Association and holds honorary degrees from Fordham University and the College of New Rochelle. Patrick Fitzgerald Patrick Fitzgerald is the U.S. Attorney in Northern Illinois who headed the 2005 investigation into the leak of the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame. It was his research that led to the indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney s chief of staff, Scooter Libby. Fitzgerald s controversial decision to question New York Times journalist Judith Miller, which ultimately led to her jailing, garnered a great deal of criticism, but Fitzgerald maintains that her testimony played a pivotal role in leveling charges against Libby. This was not the first time Fitzgerald s work made headlines. He was a major figure in the prosecution of the perpetrator of the first World Trade Center bombing in Fitzgerald attended the Jesuit-run Regis High School in New York and went on to attend Amherst College and Harvard Law School, where he pursued a passion for rugby as well as for law. On his summers off, Fitzgerald s strong work ethic kept him busy and he worked as a doorman, following in his father s footsteps. Both of Fitzgerald s parents immigrated to the United States from County Clare. He was raised in Brooklyn, New York. Timothy Flanagan Timothy Flanagan is a partner at the law firm of Cullen and Dykman in Brooklyn, New York. He handles commercial, construction and insurance liability claims and has extensive trial and appellate experience in these areas. He has also handled numerous medical malpractice claims and served for three years on the Malpractice Prevention Committee of the Church Charities Foundation, which owned and operated hospitals and nursing homes throughout the New York area. Flanagan is an active member of the Brooklyn and New York Bar Associations, as well as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, where he has served on various committees throughout the years. Flanagan is a fourth-generation Irish-American. His father s family hailed from Roscommon and his mother s from Kilkenny. He received his bachelor s degree from Cornell University and attended law school at Syracuse, where he graduated cum laude and served on the Moot Court Board. He and his wife Nancy, a second-generation Irish-American whose maiden name was also Flanagan, have three children, Caroline, Claire and Fiona. 86 IRISH AMERICA OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008

26

27 Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher, who practices in Houston at the Gallagher Law Firm, has been honored annually as one of the Best Lawyers in America since 1983 and has been a Texas Super Lawyer since He has been recognized as a leader in environmental, pharmaceutical and product liability litigation, is board certified in personal injury trial law, and obtained the largest verdict in the U.S. in the case against Fen-Phen and the second largest in the Rezulin case. A past president of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Gallagher did his preparatory education at the University of Houston and earned his LL.B. in 1965 from the University of Texas. Gallagher, who traces his Irish roots to County Donegal, is a hit both in court and out he has the highest amateur batting average in the history of baseball in Houston. 100 THE LEGAL Peter Gleason Peter J. Gleason is a private practice lawyer who serves as counsel to Levine & Gilbert, a New York law firm specializing in personal injury, accident and health, insurance, wrongful death, civil law, and service law. A former New York City police officer and firefighter, Gleason earned his J.D. from City University of New York Law School. He was also a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve for over 20 years before retiring as a lieutenant. Aside from his work as a private practice lawyer, Gleason is involved in public service as are his two brothers and his parents. He says that the family s dedication to the greater community is by way of giving thanks for the opportunities that America afforded his four grandparents who emigrated from Ireland. A single parent, Gleason lives with his seven-year-old son, Kole, in New York City. Kristen Glen Prior to her election to Manhattan s Surrogate Court, Judge Kristen Booth Glen spent ten years as the Dean of the City University of New York Law School. Glen, whose grandparents hailed from County Leitrim, received her B.A. from Stanford University and her J.D. from Columbia University Law School. The family claims relationship to Irish politician and nationalist Countess Markiewicz (nee Gore-Booth), the first woman in Europe to hold a cabinet position. The divorced mother of a son and daughter, Glen was a friend of the late activist and civil rights lawyer Paul O Dwyer, who was her son s godfather. She has received numerous honors, including the Brehon (Irish) Law Society's 1999 Distinguished Service Award and was honored by the National Lawyers Guild in Glen remains supportive of the Joseph Doherty Civil Rights Fellowship for CUNY Law, a scholarship given to students in honor of the Irish activist's struggle. 88 IRISH AMERICA OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008 James Gill As a senior partner at Bryan Cave, LLP, James Gill practices in labor and regulatory affairs. Joining Robinson, Silverman and Pearce in 1964 before it merged with Bryan Cave, Gill has remained loyal to the firm for more than 43 years. A graduate of Holy Cross College and Fordham Law School, Gill served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Schools in Quantico, Virginia where he prosecuted and defended general courts marshal. He was then appointed assistant district attorney of New York County by District Attorney Frank S. Hogan and has worked in many areas of public life. Gill serves as chairman of the board of trustees of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Group Health Inc. As chairman of the Battery Park City Authority, Gill was a participant in the effort to rebuild Lower Manhattan after the September 11th attacks. A well-known public speaker and author of two books, Gill remains connected to his Irish roots and gave a speech at the opening of the Irish Hunger Memorial at Battery Park City in He has traveled to Ireland and traces his roots on his father s side to Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare. Marty Glennon Marty Glennon is a partner in the Long Island, New York law firm of Archer, Byington, Glennon and Levine where he practices labor, employee benefits and employment law. He began his career as a thirdgeneration member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and remains a card-carrying union member. He attended the City University of New York School of Law through a scholarship and assistance from the union s Education and Cultural Fund. While in law school, Glennon helped establish the Joe Doherty Civil Rights Fellowship with Sean Crowley, providing scholarships for CUNY law students interested in civil rights issues. (Doherty, a former member of the IRA, was a political prisoner in both Ireland and the U.S.) Glennon is also a founding member and immediate past president of the Brehon Law Society for Nassau County and a member of the Brehon Council. He has visited Ireland a number of times and has played the bagpipes in the Dublin Millennium Parade. Glennon s family maintains a farm in Shangarry, Gurtymadden, County Galway. He is married to Jennifer with two daughters, Caroline and Isabelle.

28 FRIEND PATRIOT PARTNER BEST WISHES FROM YOUR FAMILY AT O DWYER & BERNSTIEN, LLP 52 Duane Street, NY, NY Tel: (212) Fax: (212) Nassau Office by Appointment Only (516) HARVARD LAW SCHOOL HARVARD LAW SCHOOL would like to congratulate Dean of Students Ellen Cosgrove as part of the inaugural Irish Legal 100 and all the other distinguished honorees in 2008.

29

30 John Goodrich John P. Goodrich is a partner and vice president at the law firm of Goodrich and Goodrich, P.C. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Goodrich went into private practice following his graduation from law school and merged practices with his brother, Bill, in Goodrich was one of the first criminal defense lawyers in Allegheny County to try a case involving DNA evidence. In recent years, he has concentrated his practice in personal injury and product liability cases. Goodrich received his undergraduate degree from St. Francis University and his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law. He was named Irishman of the Year in 2006 by Pittsburgh Iron City and was on the national Super Lawyer list in 2006 and Married with one child, Goodrich is a second-generation Irish-American whose father s family hails from Galway. His mother's family is from Mayo and Galway. He is a member of a number of Irish organizations, including the A.O.H. Irish Society for Education and Charity and the Irish American Unity Conference. Terence Hallinan Terence Hallinan is an attorney at law in his private practice in San Francisco. For eight years he served as the District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco. During his time as D.A., Hallinan was know for his hands-on involvement in the courtroom, his opposition to capital punishment and for the significant progress the District Attorney s office made in the fight against violent crime under his leadership. Prior to his time as D.A., Hallinan worked as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. During his sevenyear tenure he was chair of the Government Efficiency and Labor Committee, vice chair of the Health, Public Safety and Environmental Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. Hallinan graduated with a B.A. in History from UC Berkeley, where he narrowly missed becoming a member of the 1960 Olympic boxing team. He went on to attend law school at Hastings College of Law. A second-generation Irishman, Hallinan traces his ancestry to County Cork on his mother s side and County Limerick on his father s. He is a member of the Irish American Democratic Club and is married with five children. 100 THE LEGAL John Hanify John D. Hanify is the co-founder of Hanify & King, Professional Corporation. For 25 years, he has tried cases and represented business clients in state and federal courts, before federal and state agencies, and in arbitration. Hanify received his A.B. from Harvard Law and his J.D. from Boston College Law School, and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. A third-generation Irish-American whose family is from County Galway, Hanify is a trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation, and an Overseer of Boston College Law School. He has been named, for consecutive years, to the Best Lawyers in America list, while his litigation experience has earned him a Massachusetts Super Lawyer distinction. He is a recipient of the Justice Department s Outstanding Performance Award, and in 2006 was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year, Boston College Law School. Phillip Hanrahan Phillip J. Hanrahan joined the Milwaukee law firm of Foley & Lardner upon his graduation from Harvard Law School in The firm has grown from 62 lawyers and one office when Hanrahan joined to almost 1,000 lawyers and 21 offices worldwide. He served as a partner at Foley & Lardner from 1973 until his retirement in He had a particularly active practice in corporate law, with an emphasis on securities and mergers and acquisitions, serving as legal counsel to large publicly held companies as well as closely held and family businesses. He is a member of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin and American Bar Associations. Boston born, Hanrahan is involved in various charitable activities, including acting as an officer, director and legal counsel to two Milwaukee-based Irish charitable organizations. Every August for the past 25 years, he and wife Mary June (one of ten O Neil sisters from Boston) have hosted numerous Irish musicians and other performers at their home during Milwaukee's Irish Fest, resulting in many strong friendships. They have four sons, and have owned a home in Ballyvaughan, County Clare since Kevin Hanratty Kevin Hanratty was appointed by Governor George Pataki to serve as a counsel in the New York State Office of Homeland Security, where his responsibilities included drafting and reviewing legislation and regulations and helping to shape New York s homeland security policy. Previously he worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the City of New York. He has served as a state committeeman and district leader for Queens Republican Party and ran for state senate in Since April 2008 he has been working at Mayor Bloomberg s Office of Contract Services as a counsel. Hanratty, a graduate of Fordham Law School, received undergraduate degrees from both Queens College and Baruch College, part of the City University of New York. He served as president of the Irish-American Republicans group and is a member of the W.B. Yeats Society of New York. A first-generation Irish-American, Hanratty lived in Ireland with his family for several years when he was a child. His father hails from County Louth and his mother from County Clare. Hanratty grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, and currently resides in Woodside, Queens. OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008 IRISH AMERICA 91

31 Mark Harty Mark P. Harty is the Managing Partner of Morrison Mahoney LLP, where his expertise is focused on handling employment cases in public agencies and the state and federal courts, civil litigation, and malpractice claims. A graduate of Dartmouth College (B.A., magna cum laude) and Georgetown University Law School (J.D.), Harty was admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the United States District Court of Massachusetts, the United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. In 1999, he received the Dartmouth Alumni Award for distinguished service. Harty, who grew up in Buffalo, New York, traces his ancestors on his father William s side to County Limerick. He is on the board of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association, has served as a trustee of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston as well as the board of the Greater Boston Legal Services, and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, and the Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel. He is also a life member of the Boston and Massachusetts Bar Foundations. Patrick Hobbs Patrick Esmond Hobbs became the Dean of Seton Hall University's School of Law in 1999, after teaching at the school for nine years and following a career in private practice. As dean, Hobbs has helped to establish the law school as one that consistently ranks among the best nationwide. Under his leadership, the school launched the Seton Hall Law Rising campaign, which aims to enhance its scholarship programs and improve technology and educational facilities for an urban student population. Hobbs received a B.S. in accounting from Seton Hall University, a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Laws in taxation from New York University. Among the many honors Hobbs has received are the Seton Hall Faculty Excellence Award and the Student Bar Association Professor of the Year award. A member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Hobbs is a first-generation Irish-American. His father s family hails from County Louth and his mother's clan is from County Meath. He is married to JoAnne and has three children: Patrick, John and Alexandra. 100 THE LEGAL Joseph Hassett Joe Hassett serves as counsel to the Washington-based law firm of Hogan & Hartson LLP, where he was a partner from 1970 through He has tried jury and non-jury cases involving a wide variety of public and private issues, and has argued in appellate courts all over the country and in the United States Supreme Court. A graduate of Canisius College (B.A., summa cum laude), Harvard University (LL.B., cum laude), and University College, Dublin (M.A., Ph. D.), Hassett is engaged in a trial and appellate practice focused on corporate and securities matters. A proud Irish-American whose great-grandparents emigrated from counties Clare and Cork, Hassett serves as counsel to the Embassy of Ireland. He has published a book on W.B. Yeats, and has lectured on Yeats and other Irish writers at such venues as the Yeats International Summer School in Sligo, the James Joyce Summer School in Dublin, the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco, and Oxford University. Hassett and his wife Carol live in Washington, D.C. Their two children, Matthew and Meredith, are students at Brown and Tufts Universities, respectively. Kenneth Horoho Kenneth J. Horoho is a partner in the Pittsburgh law firm of Goldberg, Gruener, Gentile, Horoho and Avalli PC. He formerly worked as an associate at Raphael, Gruener & Raphael, where he was made partner in He has a long history in the area of child custody law and served as president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association in , where he was chair of the Young Lawyers Division and the vice-chair of the Children s Rights Committee. Horoho received his B.A. in accounting from St. Francis University, from which he also received the Outstanding Pittsburgh Alumnus Award, and his law degree the Duquesne University School of Law. He was named an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2005, where he now teaches a course on advanced family law trial advocacy. He also assisted in the development of an educational video that explains the custody process for families in the process of divorce. A second-generation Irish- American whose father s family hails from Galway, Horoho lives in Pittsburgh, with his wife and son, Sean. Colleen Hyland Colleen Ann Hyland is an Associate Judge of the Chicago Circuit Court. She received her B.A. from John Carroll University. A graduate of DePaul Law School, Colleen spent her early career as an assistant for the Illinois State s Attorney s Office, and made a name for herself as an assistant prosecutor in the sexual misconduct case against Congressman Mel Reynolds. She went on to serve as a judge in the Chicago criminal courts where she heard several high-profile gang cases. She was recently relocated to the District 5 Municipal Courts. Hyland grew up in Evergreen Park, a predominantly Irish Catholic neighborhood in the south suburbs of Chicago. Her father, John Hyland, was the president of Evergreen Savings and Loan and the son of Irish immigrants from Castlebar, County Mayo. Her mother Mary s grandparents came from Tipperary. Hyland is an Alumni Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago and teaches trial advocacy at Depaul Law School. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, John, and their daughter, Maggie. 92 IRISH AMERICA OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2008